Chapter 444

After getting everything sorted for Leanne’s school, it felt like the house had just wrapped up a major operation. Celeste Harper kept telling herself she wasn’t missing the kids, but after Leanne started kindergarten, she came home feeling emptier than she cared to admit. And with Ethan Shaw out on a business trip in another province, the house felt even quieter somehow—unsettlingly so. Thursday morning, it was time to send Ella off abroad. In the airport lobby, Celeste fussed over her like any overly attentive parent might, saying, "Sebastian will be at the airport when you land. Make sure your phone’s on right after the plane lands and reach out to him, okay? Don’t just wander off by yourself." Ella rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, I’m not five, you know." "You’re still under eighteen, so you count as a kid. Legally, I’m your guardian." "You’d actually answer if I called you 'mom'?" Celeste raised an eyebrow. "Try me and see." Over the years, Ella had picked up a solid Yannburgh accent—